After the events in Ultima VI, the Avatar is transported by a friend's failed experiment with an obsidian "moonstone" to the otherworldly Valley of Eodon, a large jungle-like world filled with various tribes. These tribes have been magically drawn from varying periods and locations in history, such as the aboriginal nations of Mesoamerica and tropical Africa. The valley of Eodon is actually on Earth, but it is inaccessible and unmappable.

At the time of the arrival of the Avatar, the place is under attack from the insect-like Myrmidex. The Avatar needs to understand and master some aspects of their stone-age tribal culture and their "jungle magic" to find a way to bring peace to the valley. The main plot involves getting all thirteen tribes to join in an alliance against the Myrmidex. Each tribe has its own demands before joining, ranging from defeating a Tyrannosaurus rex to recovering their holy statue. This mixture of worlds was created by a huge corrupted moonstone that the Myrmidex possess, which has to be destroyed to prevent it collapsing in instability.

The player commands the Avatar and a party generally consisting of up to four other characters. However, two set events in the game add a character to the party even if this limit has been reached, resulting in a maximum party size of seven characters.

Aiela: A Kurak princess whom the Avatar rescues from the raiding Urali tribe.

Dokray: A powerful warrior of the Pindiro tribe and an alternate version of Dupre from the regular Ultima series.

Jimmy: A journalist from the modern world transported into Eodon along with the Avatar.

Johann: An anthropologist from the modern world, Dr. Johann Spector is initially encountered as Zipactriotl, a usurping shaman of the Nahuatla tribe. He is later saved from his madness and joins the Avatar.

Kysstaa: A warrior of the Sakkhra tribe, a group of humanoid lizards.

Rafkin: An anthropologist from the modern world transported into Eodon along with the Avatar.

Shamuru: A nomadic warrior of the Barako tribe and an alternate version of Shamino.

Triolo: A shaman's apprentice with the Kurak tribe and an alternate version of Iolo.

Ugyuk: A Neanderthal-like member of the Haakur tribe and rival to Dokray.

Yunapotli: A golden automaton created by the ancient Kotl.

Other characters:

Darden: The barbaric usurping chieftain of the Urali tribe and kidnapper of Aiela.

Intanya: The powerful shaman of the Kurak tribe who rescues the Avatar and provides him with healing.

A port of Savage Empire was released in Japan for the Super Famicom, using the game engine from the Super NES version of Ultima VII: The Black Gate. The game was localized and planned for a USA release,[2] but that was eventually cancelled.

Computer Gaming World described Savage Empire as "not too difficult, but occasionally tricky. Good for filling in the hours while you wait for the next real Ultima".[3][4]Game Player magazine named Savage Empire the best PC fantasy RPG of 1990.[5]

On release, Famicom Tsūshin gave the Super Famicom version of the game a score of 23 out of 40.[6]GamePro gave it a negative review, citing crude graphics, sparse sound effects, confusing menus, and the trial-and-error involved in combining objects, as well as "the long-winded conversations, confusing subplots, and annoying characters who pop up for seemingly no reason at all."[7] Mike Weigand of Electronic Gaming Monthly stated "These PC-RPG conversions never really did it for me and Savage Empire is no exception. The action here is slow and definitely geared more toward strategy-oriented game players."[2]